Brooklyn-based, genre-defying duo Sleigh Bells rocked the walls of Cholmondeley's last Saturday night. Pitchfork Media has said of them, "Sleigh Bells sound like hip-hop, pop, hardcore, metal, dance-but above all else the Brooklyn duo sounds like now." While Pitchfork certainly got that right, anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing the two musicians perform would add that, live in concert, they literally sound like fun. The band has been growing rapidly in popularity since their breakout performance last October at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City almost one year ago. After opening for Yeasayer on the band's tour last spring and playing to thousands of fans at notable music festivals such as Coachella last April and Pitchfork this past July, Sleigh Bells found their way to the cozy little coffeehouse known as Chum's.

Singer Alexis Krauss and guitarist Derek Miller met in a restaurant in Brooklyn where Miller worked as a server when Krauss came in one day with her mother. From a brief exchange in which Miller mentioned that he was looking for a female vocalist to form a band with, and Krauss' mother suggested that her daughter might be the woman for the job, Sleigh Bells was formed. Both Krauss and Miller had experience in the music industry and the performance world before forming Sleigh Bells. Krauss was a member of the now all-but-forgotten teen pop group Rubyblue, while Miller was a guitarist in the Florida-based hardcore outfit Poison the Well. If you have ever wondered what a female pop singer would sound like singing over metal breakdowns and riffs, Sleigh Bells is the answer to your questions and more.

Chum's was packed as Brandeis' own DJ Marcos opened the night around 9:30 p.m. after Sleigh Bells finished its sound check later than expected. WBRS Co-Music Director Jake Blair '13 estimates that there were about 100 people waiting outside by 8:45 p.m. DJ Marcos started off his set with a selection from the ever-popular French electro house duo Justice. Marcos demonstrated a good mastery of Serato Audio Research's Scratch Live, a DJ software similar to the well-known VirtualDJ. His music selection was well- rounded and pleased the crowd, ranging from an English version of the popular song "Alors on Danse" by the Belgian hip-hop/electro-house artist Stromae to the Brandeis-appropriate "I Can't Dance" by Dirty Nasty featuring LMFAO. Using a new dance mix of an old standby, Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer," Marcos demonstrated that he knows how to get a crowd to dance and sing along by cutting the music in and out during the chorus, though his cutting was not quite in rhythm. All in all, Marcos was good, but he clearly has more potential-one would hope that he'll begin to do more complex, original and live mixing instead of relying on previously made remixes and the simpler functions of his DJ software and hardware. It was also an interesting choice for Marcos to set up at the back of Chum's. Though it allowed Sleigh Bells to set up quickly, it took some time for some students to realize that a live DJ was performing, not a preset playlist. Nonetheless, Marcos did gain the attention and dancing support of his audience. Blair remarked, "after deciding we'd get a DJ [as an opener], Marcos seemed like the obvious choice. He's very easy to work with and can read the crowd at an impressive level."

As DJ Marcos' set came to a close, Sleigh Bells took the stage to blaring metal, replete with distorted guitar, blast-beat drums and numbingly powerful bass-an appropriate prelude to its own performance. The new subwoofers in Chum's certainly got a workout with Sleigh Bells' set from start to finish. Chum's itself was at capacity, with 150 people inside. Sleigh Bells opened with "Tell 'Em," the first track off of its debut album, Treats. The song was as effective an opener live as it was on recording, and immediately the crowd was captivated, as they discovered the peculiar but enjoyable half-dancing, half-moshing movements inspired by the music. "No one should dance to something so heavy, but I saw everything between grinding and headbanging happening in Chum's that night, which was interesting," said WBRS' Michael Zonenashvili '13, who interviewed the band after the concert. Sleigh Bells continued with "Infinity Guitars," a song that superbly encapsulates its style: the interplay of heavy, distorted guitar riffs from Miller and clear, light, yet commanding vocals from Krauss. "Infinity Guitars" was never finished due to sound problems, most likely induced by the insane volumes at which Sleigh Bells likes to perform and the use of computer-generated beats and background synth lines written by Miller. Krauss, quick to think on her feet and experienced with killing time during technical difficulties, taught the audience a line from "Crown on the Ground," which came later in the set. Zonenashvili commented, "[because] Krauss is a second grade teacher . she taught the crowd all cheerfully like a second grade teacher would, and it was awesome thinking on her feet." "Riot Rhythm," which has been featured in a Honda television commercial, was next, followed by "Treats," the last song and title track off the album, and "Holly," the only song performed that night that cannot be found on "Treats." "Rill Rill," one of their most popular songs, which features a distinct sample from Funkadelic's "Can You Get to That," was next, followed by the incredibly heavy, minute-and-a-half-long "Straight A's," and finally the closer, "Crown on the Ground."

As members of the audience joined Sleigh Bells onstage for its final song, everyone in Chum's felt the full force of their music and performance: the special camaraderie of people picking each other up mixed with the undying energy of pop and dance music-and the simple fun of being a part of an intimate yet powerful concert. Chum's proved to be quite a good venue for Sleigh Bells despite its small size. The intimacy allowed the band to interact with and energize the audience and vice versa. Zonenashvili said, "Brandeis students who attend shows are pretty phenomenal hipsters with hearts of gold," which added to the intimacy and energy of the show and allowed everyone to enjoy the music even though Krauss' vocals were not always perfectly on pitch and Miller's guitar work was slightly sloppier than on the recordings. Blair and Zonenashvili agreed that the concert was a success for WBRS. As Blair put it, "It was just a cool experience, and definitely the biggest concert WBRS has done (excluding Springfest) in recent memory." The fact is this: whether or not you like the over-the-top wall of distorted danceable sound that is Sleigh Bells, you missed out on a fun concert if you were not in Chum's last Saturday night.